On 8 February this year, the DPRK held a military parade in the capital Pyongyang to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army. More than three months later, satellite photos released by Planet Lab on May 14 showed nearly 190 more trucks likely to transport people in the parking lot of Merrill Village, outside Pyongyang. Given the similar circumstances before North Korea's military parades, this scenario may well mean that North Korea will hold a military parade on July 27 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its victory in the Motherland Liberation War (Korean War).
A truck that appears in the parking lot on the west side of Merrill Lynch Parade Village on May 14 Credit: Planet Labs, a satellite imagery provider
North Korea held a military parade commemorating the 40th anniversary of the victory of the Motherland's liberation war on July 27, 1993, and Kim Il Sung's last military parade in Pyongyang. Then, in 2003, when Kim Jong-il was in power, North Korea did not hold a military parade to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the victory of the Liberation War of the Motherland. On July 27, 2013, after Kim Jong-un became North Korea's supreme leader, North Korea held a military parade to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Motherland's Liberation War, and invited representatives of veterans of the Chinese Volunteer Army to attend the ceremony.
Representative of veterans of the volunteer army on the viewing platform of the military parade in Pyongyang on July 27, 2013 Source: Russia Today
On December 31, 2022, Kim Jong-un stressed in his closing speech at the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea that 2023 is a historic year to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Motherland's Liberation War and the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and that it is necessary to "make it a year of enhancing the political and ideological power of the Republic's armed forces in every possible way, a year of transformation in war mobilization preparations, and upgrading actual combat capabilities." As a result, it is widely believed that North Korea will hold large-scale celebrations, including military parades, around July 27 this year.
Although North Korea showed 11 launchers of the Hwasong-17 liquid-fueled ICBM and 4 launchers of the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM at the same time during the February 8 military parade for the first time in history; However, compared with the military parade commemorating the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army on April 25, 2022, the "2.8 military parade" still has some reservations in the scale of equipment paraded, especially the two hypersonic medium-range ballistic missiles were not read; Other ground equipment display categories are also less, and the flight display link is even less of the wonderful MiG-23ML and MiG-29 fighter formations flying over Kim Il Sung Square at low altitude.
The Hwasong-17 ICBM column parade during the "February 8" parade Image source: KCNA
In addition to the new equipment itself, North Korea's gradually mature night military parade mode in recent years has also continuously added highlights to the parade. For example, in the "8 February" military parade, the "immortal legion" composed of heroic models of the People's Army from the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to the War of Liberation of the Motherland, which was raised by the officers and men of the parade foot team, was the biggest attraction of the parade foot parade. After less than half a year, it is worth paying attention to whether there will be an "immortal legion" composed of heroic models of the Chinese Volunteers on Kim Il Sung Square.
The "Immortal Legion" in the "2.8" parade, the front row is the "revolutionary generation" - Kim Chae (김책), Anji (안길), Choi Yongjian (최용건), Wu Zhongqia (오중성), Kang Jian (강건), Lim Chunqiu (림춘추), Ji Byung-hak (지병학) and other portraits of Korean commanders and fighters of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Coalition Army Image source: KCNA
Judging from the photos released by the "Planet Lab", the parade troops were stationed in Merrill Lynch Parade Village no earlier than May 12, the queue training had not yet begun, and the main equipment of the parade, including heavy equipment, had not been stationed, but it can still be seen that the newly built support facilities in Merrill Lynch Parade Village have made some progress. Since late February this year, the Motherland Liberation War Victory Memorial Hall in Pyongyang City has also undergone major renovations, and North Korea held a grand victory day veterans' celebration party here in 2021 and 2022.
Compare the Merrill Lynch Parade Village on February 20 and May 14 to see the sheds erected with the parade troops, as well as the newly built flower beds inside the building Image source: Planet Labs, a satellite imagery provider
April 16, the Motherland Liberation War Victory Memorial Hall under renovation Image source: Google Earth
In addition to preparations for the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Liberation War, North Korea has recently prepared other activities, especially its official "military reconnaissance satellite" that it has previously announced is ready to launch. According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on May 15, the US RC-135S "Cobra Ball" reconnaissance plane, which is specially responsible for collecting relevant signs before the launch of other countries' missiles, has flown to the western waters of the Korean Peninsula for two consecutive days to conduct reconnaissance. Yonhap claimed that North Korea could "launch provocations" around the G7 Hiroshima summit later this month.
It is worth noting that South Korea's "World" carrier rocket will also be launched for the third time on May 24 and will carry South Korea's homemade practical satellite "New Generation Small Satellite 2" for the first time Image source: Korea Space Development Agency
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